Investigates the successes and challenges of the American educational system as perceived by Korean immigrant mothers. Interviews with six Korean mothers provide anecdotal evidence that they are generally confident in the quality of the American education system, especially in the individualized and developmentally-focused approach that is in contrast to the regimented and standardized Korean educational system. However, four major areas of concern are noted: language barriers, cultural differences, discrimination issues, and limited teacher/school support. Although most of the Korean mothers had basic conversational English skills, each expressed frustration at the language barriers and the lack of interpreters. The cultural differences include the Korean belief in deferring to the teacher in educational decisions; the Korean custom that parents only speak to teachers when the child is experiencing a behavioral or academic problem; and the tendency to prefer verbal ambiguity as a sign of respect for the teacher???s authority. All of the mothers noted incidents of “subtle” discrimination such as harassment of Korean students by American children that went unpunished. Also, the Korean mothers felt that the schools and the teachers did not provide adequate time to discuss issues. The Internet may be used as a communication tool to increase teacher and peer awareness of Asian student culture.
